Nellie Langeland is a student-athlete graduate from Tulane University. She is currently a graduate student in the DeVos Sport Business Management Program at the University of Central Florida. The article below was published in the Orlando Sentinel.
I watched anxiously in early September as Hurricane Gustav bore down on the delicate infrastructure of New Orleans, the city that captured my heart.
As Gulf Coast residents fled Gustav's "cone of uncertainty," I was taken back three years to the start of my junior year at Tulane University, and my own flight from Katrina. As I sat in the contraflow traffic, I was unaware that I was embarking on the start of a defining journey for me, and my country.
Having lived in the Gulf South, two years in New Orleans, hurricanes were a part of my life. But everything changed as I watched the breached levees drown the city and the ensuing chaos. I spent a semester displaced at Texas A&M University and returned to New Orleans to finish my education as the city rebuilt.
It was trying to live in a place where entire blocks of homes had been washed away, and everyone had a personal story of loss, some more devastating than others. Over time, however, life crept back into the city, and armies of volunteers came to work alongside residents to restore the city. I graduated last May to return to my storm-battered home state of Florida, leaving a new New Orleans, with a buzz of hope and a glimmer of what the future might hold.
I had witnessed the emergence of a remarkable spirit, an esprit de corps shared by residents and volunteers compelled to reach out to their fellow Americans. At the forefront were students and young professionals fueled by civic mindedness and an entrepreneurial spirit.
Thousands of young people came to build and chart a new course for the city; these young entrepreneurs have been connected through the New Orleans YURP (Young Urban Rebuilding Professionals) Initiative. Some joined Americorps or Teach for America, or they founded their own organizations to build a sustainable city. They have focused their education and entrepreneurial spirit to rebuild and renew New Orleans.
Because many of my generation grew up in economic prosperity, we have been called by some spoiled and ill-prepared to take the reins of the country. But Katrina's YURPs are socially conscious, entrepreneurial and innovative, displaying a new and rejuvenated brand of the American spirit on which our country was founded.
The government's response to Katrina was deemed one of the great American failures, but it has been a defining experience for my generation. The response of my peers is inspiring and a testament to a revival of the American spirit that will carry us as we take on the future. The Gulf Coast is a vulnerable home front, but the challenges have created a training ground for future leaders, and many have responded to the adversity.
I consider myself an ambassador for the city of New Orleans, and I have tried to spread the word that rebuilding continues. But it is also important for people to see the silver lining, because the spirit that brought thousands of young people to rebuild is the spirit that can carry America into the future.
The state of the economy and energy and the loss of life abroad have bred concern for the future of America. But today, the social entrepreneurship of young leaders such as New Orleans' YURPs offers hope for the future, exhibiting a compassionate energy unlike the malaise Jimmy Carter diagnosed in 1979, when he proclaimed a "crisis of confidence" in America.
Hurricanes will always threaten our coasts, but there is light after the storm. Tropical winds have been followed by the winds of change, blowing a new spirit into a city and country in need of rejuvenation.
Nellie Langeland
DeVos Class of 2009
Monday, September 29, 2008
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Making It Right
Horacio Ruiz
Hope for Stanley
I wanted to post some pictures on the blog about the Make it Right Foundation. It was a foundation started by Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie that committed to building 200 homes in the Lower Ninth Ward. They committed toward building Green Homes that were energy efficient and had less of an impact on the environment by using solar power and by using rain water. The homes are also elevated and have escape hatches on the roofs in case of another catastrophic flood resulting from the breach of a levee.Residents are excited about the homes. They say, and in my opinion I have to agree, that New Orleans is going to have a community unlike anywhere else in the world, just as it did prior to Hurricane Katrina. The homes are a sight to behold in the devastated area. They look out of place, there is no doubt about that, but they are definitely a welcome sight. People will move into these homes and rebuild their lives.
Only a few days ago I met the man pictured to the left. His name is Robert Green and he is living in a trailer by where all these Make it Right homes are being built. He is going to have one of those Make it Right homes built where his trailer currently stands. He has a gravestone for his mother and granddaughter in the front yard, which he will keep when his new home is built. Green's mother and granddaughter were on the roof of his old home when it was flooded and swept away when the Industrial Canal levee was breached. He watched his granddaughter and mother drown. Green has made mistakes in his past, but he has now become an activist in the Lower Ninth Ward. He has been pictured with Brad Pitt and Jet Li at public functions and has had stories about him published in NPR, PBS, the Los Angeles Times, and CNN, to name a few. Here's hoping that Green's wounds heal with time, and that he continues to positively impact his community.
The third house pictured from the top is my favorite that has been built so far. The contractors also planted cacti in the front yard and the surrounding space. I spoke to one of the contractors responsible for spraying green-based insulation and he had nothing but good things to say about the buildings. Obviously, he is benefiting from the contractor work, but he really spoke about the cost savings that the residents will benefit from and he also spoke about how solidly the homes have been built so that they should be able to withstand some extreme weather conditions.
Following on the green-based initiative in the Lower Ninth Ward, some kind of futuristic playground was also built in the Lower Ninth Ward. For lack of better words, it was pretty cool. There weren't any kids at the playground when I visited, but that just gave me more space to run around. The playground does provide an interesting visual, I only hope that there will be kids that can soon enjoy running around these unique structures. There's no doubt that people are hard at work to bring back the Lower Ninth not just better than ever, but better than anywhere.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Brenda Dupree and Her Brother
Today I met Brenda Dupree. It wasn't the first time that I introduced myself to her, but it was the first time that I really had the opportunity to meet her. Hope for Stanley is trying to help her move back into her home. She spoke to me about how, before the storm hit, she loved to sit in her front porch and enjoy the shade it would provide, and how she would watch people that live in the Lower Ninth Ward pass by and it would let her think about the past and about her future. We sat together for a while on the steps of her front porch, and struck up a conversation with a lively carpenter that is working to rebuild the area. We also talked about the event decoration business she used to own and her ties to the neighborhood. She told me her father was the second person to live in the entire Lower Ninth Ward, when it was just a huge cow pasture in the early 1900's. The shade in her front porch was nice and cool, and just like she used to, we reminisced about her past and talked about her future aspirations. The only difference I could tell, and it is a big one, is we didn't watch too many people that live in the Lower Ninth Ward passing by. It was, and still is, empty.
Students from the 2009 DeVos Class first met Brenda and they've rallied around her by cleaning up her property and working to get her back inside her home. I'm proud of them for that. Brenda is in the middle of the picture, surrounded by members of the 2009 Class. I looked inside her home and she is so close to moving in. She was able to use Road Home money to refurbish most of her home, but it was not enough, and the construction came to a halt. But she is moving forward, and so are we. Betty Stewart, the beautiful and gracious wife of Stanley Stewart, is working to get Brenda some free sheet rock through All Congregations Together (ACT). And I'm trying to see if we can get her some free labor through other non-profit organizations.
I also met Brenda's brother, Sammy. Sammy used to be a school teacher and taught special ed, telling me that he always wanted to be a teacher and didn't care if it wasn't the highest paying job. He didn't do things for the money. He showed me his gutted home, still devastated from the storm. Brenda told me his health is in decline, and I could see some signs of that from his slow shuffle and his heavy breathing. But he has a dream to move back in his home, and he has this idea that if he can just put a fence around his property and install a gate on the front door of his home, then he can install an air conditioning unit and move back into one of his rooms. Then he'll slowly build his home one room at a time, one wall at a time. He plans to save the $750 he spends every month in rent to buy building materials. He told me he appreciated everything I'm trying to do, and I wish I could say that I've actually done something for him. I think to myself -- really hoping to myself -- that I've at least given him some hope and that it can make him feel better. I got in my car and left Sammy in his home, not sure of what he was thinking as he surveyed his battered home once again. I was moved by our meeting, and I will try my best to help him.
Horacio Ruiz
Hope for Stanley
Friday, September 12, 2008
The Work Continues
By moving to New Orleans and officially accepting a position with Hope for Stanley, we (i.e., the NCAS, DeVos Program, and UCF) have made a commitment to the people of New Orleans. Helping a community and staying focused on what must be done is not easy, and it takes guts to say, 'We're here to help,' because then you will have people that will depend on you and look toward you for a sense of leadership and to get things done. I've sat back plenty of times and put my hands on my head and tried to grasp the amount of work that remains to be done in this area, and I lose myself with all kinds of thoughts.
But then I hear the stories and see the commitment and sacrifice from other people, and it gives me strength. I've met people that moved down here to work for $300 / month because they want to help the Lower Ninth Ward. I met a man who used his Road Home money to begin a project he's always dreamed about; a center for youth where they can have a place to go and enhance their education, play sports, and learn a skill such as carpentry. That man is still living in a FEMA trailer when he could have rebuilt his own home. I hope to help him by providing sports equipment for his youth center. I've volunteered side-by-side with Dr. Yun-Oh Whang, who had his home and possessions destroyed by a tornado, and only a little more than a month later was helping to rebuild homes in New Orleans. I've met the founders of the St. Bernard Project, and they inspire me to think about how great the Hope for Stanley Foundation can become.
It is our hope that athletes and sports administrators will embrace Hope for Stanley and recognize its importance. I believe that as much as we are doing for New Orleans, this experience gives volunteers a sense of self-empowerment. It gives them the idea that if they want to make something right, then they can just by showing up. I used to watch television and wonder how I could help people that suffered after a flood, tornado, or storm. And now I realize that it's very easy. All I have to do is show up and offer my services. I know I can be an agent for change by just deciding I am going to take things into my own hands. Hopefully, volunteers will leave New Orleans knowing that they can impact their own communities in the same way.
It is the goal of this blog to get people to write about volunteering in New Orleans and to put a voice behind their experiences. It will also serve to give updates on the latest developments at Hope for Stanley. I hope that this wall can become a collection of words and ideas that will continue to inspire young people from all walks of life, including myself and my colleagues.
Horacio Ruiz
Hope for Stanley
You Can Someday See It!
As you read the grim news of events in the world, including wars, disease, natural disasters, and people acting in ways that can only hurt other people, it comes as a bolt of lightning when something of such enormous good as what happened recently in New Orleans takes place.
For those of you who follow the DeVos Sport Business Management Program and the creation of the Hope for Stanley Foundation, you already know that we began working in New Orleans in the Lower Ninth Ward in the rebuilding process after Hurricane Katrina. In December of 2006, we began to tear out the insides of the home of Stanley Stewart. Stanley became a symbol for us as the face of the people in the Lower Ninth. On the weekend of October 13 and 14 2007, my wife Ann, daughter Emily, ten students from the current DeVos program, a member of the Inaugural Class and her Mom and I converged at Stanley’s house to paint the walls of his recreated home.
We followed by a week the extraordinary efforts of Smitty Pignatelli, who was a member of the first trip in December. Smitty came earlier in the spring with a crew from Massachusetts to put a roof on Stanley’s house to stop the erosion inside. In the first week of October, he brought a group of 25 skilled electricians, plumbers, sheet rockers, and carpenters, who installed new plumbing electricity, sheet rock, floors, windows, doors, cabinets and appliances. In other words, they rebuilt Stanley’s house. Had this group have been charging for their normal services, it would have cost $15,000 a day, or nearly $90,000 for their labor. They also brought nearly $50,000 of donated material. I salute Smitty and his crew for their extraordinary dedication in helping Stanley Stewart’s family.
Now we pledge that the DeVos Sports Business Management Program, in conjunction with the National Consortium for Academics and Sports, will continue to build and rebuild homes in future trips that will allow at least some of the people who were wrenched away from their beloved City of New Orleans to return in comfort and safety.
I have never been more proud to work with any group than I have been with those who have devoted nearly six weeks of their time since last December. It shows that when you believe in what you can’t see, you can someday see it.
Richard Lapchick.
-Originally Posted October 19, 2007
For those of you who follow the DeVos Sport Business Management Program and the creation of the Hope for Stanley Foundation, you already know that we began working in New Orleans in the Lower Ninth Ward in the rebuilding process after Hurricane Katrina. In December of 2006, we began to tear out the insides of the home of Stanley Stewart. Stanley became a symbol for us as the face of the people in the Lower Ninth. On the weekend of October 13 and 14 2007, my wife Ann, daughter Emily, ten students from the current DeVos program, a member of the Inaugural Class and her Mom and I converged at Stanley’s house to paint the walls of his recreated home.
We followed by a week the extraordinary efforts of Smitty Pignatelli, who was a member of the first trip in December. Smitty came earlier in the spring with a crew from Massachusetts to put a roof on Stanley’s house to stop the erosion inside. In the first week of October, he brought a group of 25 skilled electricians, plumbers, sheet rockers, and carpenters, who installed new plumbing electricity, sheet rock, floors, windows, doors, cabinets and appliances. In other words, they rebuilt Stanley’s house. Had this group have been charging for their normal services, it would have cost $15,000 a day, or nearly $90,000 for their labor. They also brought nearly $50,000 of donated material. I salute Smitty and his crew for their extraordinary dedication in helping Stanley Stewart’s family.
Now we pledge that the DeVos Sports Business Management Program, in conjunction with the National Consortium for Academics and Sports, will continue to build and rebuild homes in future trips that will allow at least some of the people who were wrenched away from their beloved City of New Orleans to return in comfort and safety.
I have never been more proud to work with any group than I have been with those who have devoted nearly six weeks of their time since last December. It shows that when you believe in what you can’t see, you can someday see it.
Richard Lapchick.
-Originally Posted October 19, 2007
When the Saints Go Marching In
Written by Massachusetts Representative Smitty Pignatelli
The Hope for Stanley Foundation was formed by a committed group of 10 students from the DeVos Sport Business Management Graduate Program at the University of Central Florida after their initial week of work in the Ninth Ward of New Orleans in December 2006. Those students and more than 15 other DeVos students made four subsequent trips to work in the Ninth Ward. While they worked on other homes as well, most of their efforts were on gutting the home of Stanley and Betty Stewart. The NCAS also had a group work in the Ninth. But on that first trip, in addition to the students and DeVos Chair Richard Lapchick, his wife Ann Pasnak and daughter, Emily Pasnak-Lapchick, two people from Massachusetts joined them: Allyce Najimy and State Representative Smitty Pignatelli. While the DeVos and NCAS families did all the gutting , clearing and final painting, what follows is the amazing story of how Smitty got the inside done to allow the Stewarts to move into their home.
This is the story of a family from New Orleans who inspired the new NCAS Foundation, Hope For Stanley. We met Stanley Stewart and his family at Christmas time, December 2006 in New Orleans, LA. They had just moved into their FEMA trailer after 16 long, hard months of pain
and suffering caused by Hurricane Katrina. Stanley and his family of twelve are only alive today because they were able to escape the 14 feet of dirty water, to the second floor in their New Orleans Ninth Ward home. After spending two days without water, food, plumbing or air-conditioning, they were finally rescued by a neighbor’s small boat from the 2nd floor balcony. The boat brought the family to a bridge, where they had to walk 4 miles to the Convention Center, Stanley sent his family walking to safety without him, you see he was stricken with Polio at birth which made it impossible for him to keep up. After several days at the Convention Center, still not knowing where his own family was, Stanley stayed behind to help every last person board their bus to safety, before finally boarding the bus himself.
We have had a goal to move Stanley back into his 4 bedroom, 2 bath home in time for his wife Betty to cook Thanksgiving Dinner in her own kitchen and set her own table with room enough to host her whole family. We went to New Orleans as volunteers, helping to rebuild Stanley’s home and came back as agents for change believing in the power of ordinary people doing extraordinary things. Thanks to the generosity of some Massachusetts Berkshire County volunteers, we were able to put a new roof on Stanley’s home in April and most recently the crew of 25 licenses contractors and carpenters went down to Stanley’s home and completed the rebuild of 1133 Tricou Street, the Stewarts Home in just 6 days. It was like our own version of “Extreme Home Makeover”. Instead of raising money for my political campaign, I asked people to help me raise money for my Campaign to help the Stewart Family move home. All of the materials were donated; floors, windows, cabinets, plumbing fixtures and sheet rock, the volunteers signed up without hesitation and because of the generosity of spirit of citizens in our county, Stanley and Betty now have a certificate of occupancy and will be moving into their home a month before Thanksgiving! There is much more work to be done but we know a small committed group of people truly can make a difference.
-Originally Posted October 15, 2007
The Hope for Stanley Foundation was formed by a committed group of 10 students from the DeVos Sport Business Management Graduate Program at the University of Central Florida after their initial week of work in the Ninth Ward of New Orleans in December 2006. Those students and more than 15 other DeVos students made four subsequent trips to work in the Ninth Ward. While they worked on other homes as well, most of their efforts were on gutting the home of Stanley and Betty Stewart. The NCAS also had a group work in the Ninth. But on that first trip, in addition to the students and DeVos Chair Richard Lapchick, his wife Ann Pasnak and daughter, Emily Pasnak-Lapchick, two people from Massachusetts joined them: Allyce Najimy and State Representative Smitty Pignatelli. While the DeVos and NCAS families did all the gutting , clearing and final painting, what follows is the amazing story of how Smitty got the inside done to allow the Stewarts to move into their home.
This is the story of a family from New Orleans who inspired the new NCAS Foundation, Hope For Stanley. We met Stanley Stewart and his family at Christmas time, December 2006 in New Orleans, LA. They had just moved into their FEMA trailer after 16 long, hard months of pain
and suffering caused by Hurricane Katrina. Stanley and his family of twelve are only alive today because they were able to escape the 14 feet of dirty water, to the second floor in their New Orleans Ninth Ward home. After spending two days without water, food, plumbing or air-conditioning, they were finally rescued by a neighbor’s small boat from the 2nd floor balcony. The boat brought the family to a bridge, where they had to walk 4 miles to the Convention Center, Stanley sent his family walking to safety without him, you see he was stricken with Polio at birth which made it impossible for him to keep up. After several days at the Convention Center, still not knowing where his own family was, Stanley stayed behind to help every last person board their bus to safety, before finally boarding the bus himself.We have had a goal to move Stanley back into his 4 bedroom, 2 bath home in time for his wife Betty to cook Thanksgiving Dinner in her own kitchen and set her own table with room enough to host her whole family. We went to New Orleans as volunteers, helping to rebuild Stanley’s home and came back as agents for change believing in the power of ordinary people doing extraordinary things. Thanks to the generosity of some Massachusetts Berkshire County volunteers, we were able to put a new roof on Stanley’s home in April and most recently the crew of 25 licenses contractors and carpenters went down to Stanley’s home and completed the rebuild of 1133 Tricou Street, the Stewarts Home in just 6 days. It was like our own version of “Extreme Home Makeover”. Instead of raising money for my political campaign, I asked people to help me raise money for my Campaign to help the Stewart Family move home. All of the materials were donated; floors, windows, cabinets, plumbing fixtures and sheet rock, the volunteers signed up without hesitation and because of the generosity of spirit of citizens in our county, Stanley and Betty now have a certificate of occupancy and will be moving into their home a month before Thanksgiving! There is much more work to be done but we know a small committed group of people truly can make a difference.
-Originally Posted October 15, 2007
Progress at Stanley's Place
There is great news coming out of New Orleans in the world of Hope for Stanley! Smitty and his crew of fabulous do gooders has made great strides in the completion of the Stanley's home. Smitty will be writing a few posts as soon as he is back in Boston and near a computer. As of right now the only thing that needs to be completed at Stanley's home is a nice fresh paint job, and that will be done this weekend by some of the original crew that first met Stanley and his family. We will get you more first hand information as it becomes available.
Keep watching for news!
--Originally Posted October 11, 2007
Keep watching for news!
--Originally Posted October 11, 2007
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Welcome to the Blog
Welcome to the Hope For Stanley Blog!
We will update this blog on a weekly basis with news and stories about the rebuilding efforts in New Orleans and especially share information about the GREAT progress that has been made on Stanley Stewart's home since the Hope For Stanley Foundation became involved. We look forward to sharing with you and hearing from you!
UPDATE: We will be using a new URL address and will also be uploading some of our old posts from the previous site with the original dates they were published.
We will update this blog on a weekly basis with news and stories about the rebuilding efforts in New Orleans and especially share information about the GREAT progress that has been made on Stanley Stewart's home since the Hope For Stanley Foundation became involved. We look forward to sharing with you and hearing from you!
UPDATE: We will be using a new URL address and will also be uploading some of our old posts from the previous site with the original dates they were published.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
